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LAS VEGAS--Gunnar Optiks, which makes a line of "digital" glasses that are designed to reduce eyestrain, has announced that it will be offering a collection of 3D glasses enabled with components of its i-AMP lens technology. The company says it will make versions available for the most widely used 3D platforms in gaming and video.

"There have been amazing advances in the delivery of the media, but we see a massive need for someone to address the optics of the eyewear," said Rob Aarnes, Gunnar's president. "Currently most eyewear used in 3D systems is … Read more

Wi-Fi speakers have made some appearances over the last few years, in the form of prototypes and high-priced novelties. Finally, San Francisco-based Blackfire Research will release the Wi-Fi speakers we've been waiting for.

When the SmartSpeaker launches this summer, consumers will be able to stream audio, including Internet radio and movies, from Wi-Fi-enabled cellphone and computers.

Software for the speakers is still in development and will be available for the iPhone, Zune, Palm, Android, iPod Touch, and Blackberry by the time of launch.

Ravi Rajapakse, CEO of Blackfire Research, became interested in audio at the age of 12, when … Read more

I've recently reviewed most of the contenders for the world's best headphones: the Audio Technica ATH-W5000, Denon AH-D7000, Sennheiser HD 800, Grado PS-1000, Ultrasone Edition 8, and the best headphones I've heard so far, the Stax electrostatic SR-007Mk2. I listened to the Stax with the Woo Audio WES headphone amplifier. If you want and can afford the best, go for the Stax-Woo combination.

But now I have yet another headphone to check out, and this one is a very different-sounding design. Oh, and it's less than half the price of the least expensive of those models!

It's called the Hifiman HE-5, and it uses planar-magnetic drivers to create sound. A planar magnetic driver is a large, flat Mylar diaphragm, coated with superthin aluminum, suspended between rows of slender bar magnets. The HE-5's diaphragm is therefore driven over its entire area, which dramatically reduces distortion; conventional dynamic headphone drivers are "driven" by a voice coil on the outer edge of the diaphragm, so the inner portion is more likely to distort.

The HE-5's driver is similar to the Stax electrostatic 'phones in that way, but the HE-5 doesn't use the bias charging scheme that all electrostatic headphones use, which also means the HE-5 can be used with standard headphone amplifiers. The Stax cannot.

The HE-5 is incredibly detailed sounding, but at the same time it's very smooth and laid back. Swapping between the HE-5 and the Sennheiser HD 800--considered by many to be the world's best dynamic headphone--the two headphones are opposites. The HD 800 is brighter, crisper, with more apparent treble detail; the HE-5 is softer, warmer, and more natural-sounding. … Read more

My video blog yesterday featured the footage of Nascar driver Ryan Newman in a death-defying blow-over flip from Sunday's Sprint Cup chase race at Talladega Speedway. Well, the excitement didn't end there, as you'll see in today's video clip from the final moments of the 2009 AMP Energy 500 featuring a crazy multicar collision, flips, and even a car fire. Here's the evidence:

What appears to happen here is Kurt Busch's car gets nudged--he'd been testing other cars with a little bangin' and bumpin', and here he comes up on the short end … Read more

Yesterday Jamie McMurray pulled off a significant upset by winning NASCAR's AMP Energy 500 Sprint Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway. Not that we here at The Car Tech blog would promote gambling, but if you had bet on McMurray, then you would have made out like a bandit with his reported 25 to 1 odds of winning at Talladega. As much as this victory is a feather in McMurray's logo-ridden cap, it doesn't matter much, as it appears that based on points alone Jimmie Johnson is gonna take yet another Sprint Cup championship. Yawn.

But what seems … Read more

Six out of seven people here at Crave Asia are bespectacled, and the last time I checked, everyone had their eyes glued to at least a 19-inch LCD monitor. Some have it worse with gigantic plasma screens, while others have to squint at pathetic QVGA displays.

It doesn't take an Einstein to know that our eyes go through an obscene amount of stress daily. Less work and more play obviously wouldn't sit well with our editors or HR policies. And citing risks of developing Digital Eye Fatigue or Computer Vision Syndrome, at best, will earn you a few … Read more

Are you a guitarist with just enough talent to shun Guitar Hero, but too little to form your own Kiss cover band? Boy, do we have the product for you.

The JamVOX is a hardware and software combo that outfits your computer with a tiny, badass VOX amp USB sound card and a software package with virtual amplifiers and effects (ala Guitar Rig) that helps you mute or solo the guitar parts from your favorite songs. Basically, this thing lets you surgically remove your guitar heroes from their songs, and replace them with your own ham-fisted shred fest.

The JamVOX system is due out in September, with a suggested retail around $350. Video after the break.… Read more

Not even a month has passed since the "Tri-Bot" has succeeded the Robosapien, and already another wheeled animatron is mounting a challenge. The "A.M.P." (Automated Musical Personality) Bot from Tiger Electronics differs from the Tri-Bot by navigating on two wheels instead of three, a feat made possible by its gyroscopic system.

It's also not meant as a kindergarten toy, according to Gearlog, measuring 2.5 feet tall and weighing in at a hefty 15 pounds. The target consumer's age is between 16 and 25, in fact, and for good reason: The A.… Read more

In a world where everyone seems to fancy themselves a guitar hero, something like this makes perfect sense. If some people will go so far as to carry a Fender "Stacked Amp Wallet," for instance, it's certainly not a stretch to think they'll go for an MP3 speaker that looks like an amp as well.

The "Mytunes MP3 Amp" actually has some impressive details considering its diminutive size, including working bass and treble dials. It even has a faux leather casing and corner protectors to minimize damage in mid-slash.

The 5-watt speaker will work … Read more